Which soldering iron/station to buy?

[sphelps]

After using hakko I'll never go back to weller. Consider the FX-888, not digital but who cares, less than $100 local and a great iron.

[mike31154]

Depends on how much you use an iron & what for, but I'd say that YIHUA unit you linked to is a pretty good looking set up for the price, compared to the Weller. Personally I have a simple non adjustable iron, must be 20 years old by now, still works fine & a Weller pistol type gun for the heavy duty stuff. Also had a small rechargeable unit but the battery finally gave up the ghost & it's trash now. I remember when I was a working stiff, Pace kits were all the rage with the pros, but I haven't even looked to see if they still exist.

..quick search...

http://na.suzohapp.com/tools/92144000.htm

...a bit pricey though... what's your beef with the Radio Shack tool? If it gets hot & melts the solder...

[daplatapus]

Originally Posted by sphelps

After using hakko I'll never go back to weller. Consider the FX-888, not digital but who cares, less than $100 local and a great iron.

+1
I have the same unit and it rocks.

[Bryan]

I have the WESDS51 Weller and it is a excellent iron, handle is great and your hand doesn't get sore from continuous soldering, the cord is also excellent and doesn't tangle or loop up like other irons I have used. Iron warms up is seconds and maintains temperature. A big advantage with the Weller,10 years from now parts will still be available. Tips are relatively cheap and can be found easily.

[Bryan]

Forgot to mention, but if you are going to go with the Weller, buy it from Digi-Key, roughly the same price as the Ebay seller with his shipping added. Digi ships via courier in 1-2 days with no brokerage fees. Shipping is $8.00.

http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail...SD51-ND/555479